Chicken Rice Soup (guaranteed to make you feel better)

I made chicken rice soup last night, and it was really good. I didn’t follow a particular recipe. I just added what I had on hand that sounded good. This is virtually fat-free and is just oozing with good health. Here’s what I did:

Chicken-Rice Soup

1 boneless/skinless chicken breast

2 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (I like using some dark meat because it is more flavorful than the white meat and seems to make for tastier soups and stews)

1 can chicken broth

grated carrots (about a cup)

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/4 cup each of diced green, yellow and red peppers

parsley (to taste - probably a couple tablespoons)

poultry seasoning (to taste - about a teaspoon)

salt and pepper (to taste)

1/4 cup brown rice, uncooked

In a large pot, cover the chicken with water and cook over medium/high heat. As the chicken is starting to cook, slice/dice/shred the vegetables and add to the pot.

Add all the other ingredients, except the rice.

Once the chicken is well cooked, remove it from the pot. Once it has cooled, either shred or chop it. Then return the chicken to the pot. Bring the chicken and vegetables to a strong boil.

Add the rice, turn the heat to low, cover the pot and cook until the rice is tender. Serve with crackers or cornbread.

You can also add a can of diced tomatoes to the soup for a little flavor. I love tomatoes, and so that’s what I did yesterday, and the soup is REALLY good. However, it would have been just as good without them - just good in a different way.

If you like soup with a thicker broth, you can add a teaspoon or two of EITHER corn starch of all-purpose flour to thicken it. Some people add a couple tablespoons of instant potato flakes to thicken a soup. It’s good whether or not you thicken the broth.